good morning. not so fast. the obama administration puts the brakes on pushing for egyptian president hosni mubarak so step down immediately, embracing a slower path to reform instead, as anti-government protesters call for a new round of demonstrations. facebook founder mark zuckerberg gets a restrainer order against the man who's allegedly tormented him online, at home and at work. this morning the threatening messages that had zuckerberg fearing for his safety. and a woman reconnects with

her biological family 23 years after she was kidnapped as a baby. her mother said the weeks that followed have been anything but smooth. she'll tell us why "today" tuesday, february 8, 2011. captions paid for by nbc-universal television and welcome to "today" on this tuesday morning. i'm meredith vieira. >> i'm matt lauer. despite the calls for new protests in tahrir square there are signs that the people of cairo are trying to return to some sense of normalcy after two weeks of protest. we'll have the latest straight ahead. >> and new details surrounding the mystery of a woman who died at the home of beer magnate august bush. >> and we have video this

morning. this is frightening stuff. you are about to see car surfing and it is being tried unfortunately by a growing number of teenagers. just ahead, a mother who lost her son because he was car surfing shares a heart-breaking story. >> plus, what does simon cowell think about the new simonless "american idol"le? first we'll go to ann curry at the news desk. >> good morning, everybody. as you just heard today protesters are still refusing to leave tahrir square and the president has not answered their demands with his resignation. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in cairo again. the obama administration is using dialogue -- urging dialogue on reforms. is there a sense u.s. pressure is diminishing on the mubarak administration? >> reporter: good morning. there is. the obama administration backing calling for more reform but is not calling for immediate regime

change and is refusing to endorse the protesters' demands that president mubarak step down. life is returning to cairo as egypt is now looking for a way out of this crisis. the new vice president omar suleiman today announced the government has a schedule and a road map for a peaceful transition from mubarak's regime to more democratic elections next fall. but the protesters say promises aren't enough. they don't trust that mubarak will carry out any democratic reform. they are still camped out in cairo's tahrir square. for weeks the movement has been without a leader, but the demonstrators are trying to form a committee to represent them. and they have been inspired by the release yesterday of a blogger and google executive after 12 days of detention. [ speaking in a foreign language ] please don't turn me into a hero, he said. i'm an ordinary person. heroes are on the streets.

but the government is calling people back to work. the main bazaar in cairo has re-opened but most say it's to dust off souvenirs. there are no tourists, no business. egyptians are divided, with many wanting democracy but not unrest. both the egyptian and u.s. governments now appear to agree that egypt's transition to more democracy will take months, not weeks. it seems increasingly unlikely that president mubarak will be forced into exile. ann? >> thanks, richard engel this morning. meantime, according to new cables released by wikileaks omar suleiman has been a longtime favorite of israeli officials to take over for mubarak. by this summer there will be a new nation in africa, southern sudan. they will secede after decades of civil war. president obama said the u.s.

will recognize the secession in july and will begin to take sudan off the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. a rebel from chechnya is claiming responsibility for a moscow bombing. the rebel leader released the video online and vowed there will be more attacks to come. the government is set to release today the results of the ten-month investigation into toyota, the world's biggest automaker has been saddled with millions of safety recalls. meantime toyota announced the net profit plummeted 39% in the third quarter compared to the year before. and a man has been arrest fwin the so-called polite robber case. >> i really am sorry to have to do this, but i've got kids. >> the suspect gained national attention because of good manners as he robbed a store, even apologizing with his gun drawn. the 65-year-old suspect was

arrested at home, not far from where the robbery took place. it is now 7:05. let's go to meredith, matt and al. >> thank you very much. mr. roker, we have a change in the weather today. >> do you know what he'll say to the judge? >> i'm sorry? >> pardon me. [ laughter ] >> sorry. let's show you what's happening. we have another storm coming out of the rockies making for snow in denver all the way to wichita, oklahoma city. dallas, you will see more snow as we get into tomorrow it makes its way through the gulf bringing snow to atlanta and eventually moves off the coast. we don't see any snow out of this thing, thank goodness in the northeast. look at the snowfall amounts. six to nine inches little rock to wichita. maybe up to a foot of snow. we have lake effect snow in the northeast from pulaski to

>> cold front is on the move and we are going to see a temperatures start to drop later on. we would generally be in the 30's. a 40050-mile-per-hour gusts possible. and that's your latest weather. meredith? >> al, thank you. president obama is holding a series of closed door meetings at the white house today after spending monday trying to mend fences with big business and his critics. nbc's white house correspondent savannah guthrie has details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, meredith. with the president set to send his budget to congress next week there are big battles looming over the nation's debt, an issue

he took on on fox news last night. >> we've got to make some tough decisions. >> reporter: in the second part of his interview with bill o'reilly the president fended off a suggestion he brought no urgency to the debt crisis in his state of the union address. >> we are proposing to cut $400 billion of spending over five years. by doing that we will get domestic spending to the lowest level as a share of gdp since eisenhower. >> reporter: mr. obama acknowledged the biggest part of the debt is entitlement spending and said neither party is going to be able to fix it alone. >> the long-term problem is entitlements, social security, medicare, medicaid. i have said to republicans i want to work with you to figure out how we cut spending. >> reporter: the president's comments came on a day when he extended an olive branch to the business leaders at the chamber of commerce. taking steps by walking to the chamber building just a block

from the white house to try to repair what's often been a rocky relationship on issues such as health care and financial regulation. >> if we have brought over a fruit cake when i first moved in, we would have gotten off to a better start. >> reporter: fighting a perception he's anti-business -- >> i understand the challenges you face. i know you share my enthusiasm. if there is a reason you don't share my confidence, i want to fix it. >> reporter: the president promised to eliminate burden from regulation while defending the need for some government intervention. >> not every regulation is bad. not every regulation is burdensome on business. >> reporter: a somewhat different tone from comments he made to ceos a year ago. >> if they wish to fight common sense consumer protections, that's a fight i'm more than willing to have. >> reporter: on monday mr. obama called for a cut in corporate taxes and urged executives to get in the game with a kennedy-like call to action to

invest in america. >> winning the future is not just about what the government can do for you to succeed. it's also about what you can do to help america. >> reporter: well, the president will be behind closed doors for most of the day. but the vice president will be at the amtrak station in philadelphia talking about the need to improve the nation's infrastructure. one of the issues that the chamber of commerce and the administration agree on. matt, back to you. >> thank you very much. savannah guthrie at the white house this morning. will president obama's outreach to the business community mean good things for the economy? jim cramer is the host of "mad money." the president was bashing wall street, talking about the fat cats and bonuses a year ago. and people across the country agreed with him. now we are hearing a different tone. is this about the fact that jobs haven't come back as quickly as people want? >> 100%. this is about creating employment. it's a big olive branch.

he now has the onus on business. he made the first step here. >> is it a verbal olive branch only or is he backing it up? >> if they can change the cor corporate tax, money comes back to hire people. with this trade initiative, if we can break barriers for foreign countries that will produce a huge amount of jobs. >> he said they must shoulder responsibility for lifting the shaky economy and vowed to knock down government barriers that hamper business growth. is this the way the logical explanation works? in other words, can business lead this economy to recovery or does the economy need to recover to get businesses to hire? >> the rest of the world is doing terrifically. it's been difficult for our businesses to crack in to india, china, latin america. the president said, i'll help, but you have to make the stuff

here. i think the business leaders heard it and will change. >> you're a cynical guy. >> oh, yeah. >> look beyond the economy here and look to politics. we are less than two years away from the 2012 elections. by taking this softer stance with business, what does president obama gain politically? >> first of all, your 401-k will go up. this is a new experience in ten years. he's making people feel comfortable spending, making companies feel more comfortable spending. that is going to produce jobs, lower the unemployment rate. >> when? when is this going to -- >> i'll tell you when. it's going to be done by election. >> two years from now? not sooner? >> it's very difficult to change everything. i think you will see a tone which says, listen, we can't keep working people as long as we have. we have to bring people in. some of the fuel, aluminum

companies, it's happening. >> the dow closed above 12,000. six straight days of gains. how do you feel about the market right now? >> right now i think it's fabulous. we had a chinese rate hike last night, so today won't be good but we could be up another 12%. this is a new market. the market is up since the president changed his ways. business feels he has. >> jim, thank you very much as always. watch "mad money" on cnbc weeknights at 6:00 and 11:00. tomorrow on "today," first lady michelle obama joins us for a live interview in studio 1a. it's 7:13. here's meredith. >> thank you. mark zuckerberg has been granted a restraining order against a man who's stalked him online and at home. miguel almaguer has the story. >> reporter: he's the face of facebook but mark zuckerberg has one friend he never wanted. facebook confirms the creator of the social networking site has been granted a restraining order

against the man pending a court hearing this month. as first reported by tmz.com, he's a facebook subscriber who allegedly stalked zuckerberg on and off line. according to tmz, court papers say he tried to follow, surveil and contact mr. zuckerberg using language threatening his personal safety. >> the judge issued a restraining order telling him to stay at least 300 yards away. >> reporter: tmz reports the man sought out zuckerberg, the world's youngest billionaire, at facebook offices in palo alto looking for, quote, money for his financially strapped family. tmz said he wrote to zuckerberg, time is running out for me. i owe entire my life at your service. please help me. then i am ready to die for you.

these are not just the words. these are coming from my heart. zuckerberg's sister received incoherent messages. dear randi, please respond before it gets too late. i really need your help, my dear sister. police got involved after the man went to zuckerberg's home. officers told him to leave the property and he was given a verbal warning. four days later the man wrote a bizarre letter to zuckerberg saying if i get a chance to work with you in the near future, it would be my honor. lighthouse is more powerful than churches. it suits you. the handwritten letter was reportedly sent with flowers. >> that's what gets scary. first he's going to the internet. then he goes to his place of business. then he tries to get into his house. you get a sense of an increase

in frustration. >> reporter: nbc news contacted manukonda who confirmed the restraining order but declined comment. meanwhile, zuckerberg said, trying to make the world a more open place by helping people connect and share, but apparently not like this. miguel alma gur, nbc news, los angeles. >> it is 7:16. here's matt. >> we are learning more about what may have caused the death of a woman inside the mansion of august bush, iv. kevin tibbles has details. >> reporter: while the coroner's report has not been released there is a report that's been confirmed by our nbc affiliate here in st. louis, ksdk, that contains toxicology results into the death of bush's girlfriend

adrian martin. nearly two months after her death, clues about what may have happened to 27-year-old adrian martin. the aspiring model was found dead in december at the mansion of her boyfriend august bush, iv, former ceo and heir to the anheiser-busch fortune. toxicology reports say she had cocaine and oxycodone in her system at the time of death. the toxicology results were reported to martin's family. the st. louis post dispatch spoke with dr. kevin martin. >> he was surprised to hear the results. adrian was always anti-drug. >> reporter: martin's ex-husband said adrian had a heart condition but never suspected she was using drugs. medical experts say the two should not mix. >> it can be a deadly combination, especially in people who have underlying heart problems. >> reporter: martin and bush had

been dating for two years when he found her unresponsive in his home. >> emergency, 9-1-1. >> we need an ambulance. >> what's the problem? >> this girl is not waking up. >> reporter: when bush was a college freshman, he was involved in a crash that killed his female passenger. in 18985 he was accused of tryig to run down two police officers during a chase. he was acquitted. he seemed to overcome his troubles and playboy past. >> no one pointed to problems at least within the last 20 years but he had been in rehab for depression and, quote, other issues. he never said what those issues are. we can only hope that we'll find out more answers as this process goes on. >> reporter: matt, the coroner's report is expected to be released later in the week. back to you. >> kevin tibbles in st. louis. thank you very much. it's 18 after the hour.

here's meredith. >> the countdown to the royal wedding between prince william and kate is now 80 days. now there is a way for you to interact with the prince, sort of. stephanie gosk is at buckingham palace to explain. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, meredith. since the engagement, william and kate have been keeping low profile. very few public appearances. our royal insiders say sometimes kate leaves her house in disguise. the palace is trying to keep them out of the press, but that makes the public want to know what they are up to even more. the day of the engagement announcement there were probably more than a few women who thought, i wonder what that must be like, to be kate middleton in that moment. ♪ >> reporter: that's what american artist jennifer ruble was thinking. >> it is the embodiment of a fairytale. and prince william is prince

charming. it is a happy moment where the world is coinciding with our fantasy of the world. >> reporter: which she's hoping to recapture in a london gallery, this time with william made of wax. 6'3", replica of the hand tailored suit, watch and of course the ring. his arm ready for someone to slip through. ready to experience the magic of the moment. what's that, will? who should design my wedding dress? what a great idea. some artists are grappling with kate's celebrity. >> questioning the lon gevity o the celebrities of the past and of the future. >> reporter: sure. most people like looking at william and kate anywhere they can find them. plates, mugs, magazine covers. nothing new for the prince but icon status for kate is new territory.

♪ >> it's perplexing. one day you're a normal girl and suddenly you have been offered the world in terms of magazine covers, paintings, statues, things named after you. >> reporter: magazines especially tapped into her fame. a cover with the future princess flies off the shelves. kate, like her prince charming, is now undeniably and unavoidably a celebrity. there is a rumor that kate would be on the covers of vogue, an attempt to boost flagging sales, but reportedly kate said no to that. another example of her trying to keep a low profile. you may remember diana was on the cover of vogue before the wedding in 1981. >> thank you very much. stephanie gosk in london. has it gone too far now? >> people slipping their finger in the ring? >> you get to feel the experience. >> that's a little too far.

>> you're not going to do it hopefully, but a lady might. >> okay. stephanie did. that's important. >> exactly. coming up, new details on the reunion between a woman abducted as a baby and her birth family. her biological mom speaks out in a live interview about the twist the story has taken since then. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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white marsh boulevard. an accident report on southbound 795 approaching the beltway. a couple of other things to mention. more delays developing, 28 miles per hour from belair road towards the harrisburg expressway. topping the brakes on southbound 83 from cold spring. elmhurst ave and chesaco, watch for downed wires and enclosures. we will show you delays on northbound 95 coming towards northbound traffic. only the left lane is getting by and white marsh with the tractor trailer fire. we'll show you what looks like at the white marsh area. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> we are going to see a nice day today. a cold day with blustery winds. high pressure builds in behind

it. we will see winds gusting between 40 and 50 miles per hour. temperatures will be dropping later this afternoon as well. wind advisory goes into effect at 11:00 a.m. and will last until 8:00 tonight. by the weekend, we will have a rebound in the temperatures. >> check the bottom of your screen for updated news and traffic information. we are back at 7:55.

it's 7:30 now on a tuesday morning, the 8th of february, 2011. you are looking down at the plaza in new york city, our corner of the world, 49th street and rockefeller plaza. it's been raining overnight. supposed to get much colder this afternoon. inside studio 1a, it's fine in here. i'm matt lauer alongside meredith vieira. coming up, a disturbing activity known as car surfing that can lead to serious injury and even death. when you see the video, you understand why. police are seeing more cases of it, especially among teenagers.

we'll have details on that. you can just see it's lunacy. >> crazy. also ahead, a remarkable story from the national zoo where two baby cheetahs were born. when one mother couldn't care for her cub, the other was forced to take up the slack. we'll go there live. >> and how does simon cowell feel about "american idol" without him? he'll tell us when he joins us for a live interview coming up. >> let us begin with the latest on what's a rocky reunion between carlina white and her biological family. she was snatched from a new york hospital 23 years ago as a baby. we'll talk to her birth mother but first the latest. >> reporter: ann pettway is being held without jail at a federal detention center in new york. on monday prosecutors were to announce whether a grand jury had returned an indictment against her. now prosecutors and the defense have asked for two weeks to find out what the grand jury decides

and how to move forward. >> i want my baby back. they didn't have to do that to me. i had her. i was carrying her for nine months. they didn't have to take her from me. >> reporter: in 1987 an unthinkable crime took place. 3-week-old carlina white was snatched from the hospital leaving her young parents without a clue. 23 years later, the unthinkable turned into the unbelievable when carlina was reunited with her biological parents. >> i always believed she would find me. >> this is what i wanted ever since i found out that lady wasn't my biological mother. >> reporter: that lady is ann pettway who confessed to an agent she snatched carlina from the hospital, raised her as her own daughter giving her the name nejdra nance. when nejdra grew up she asked pettway for a birth certificate

and pettway had nothing. nejdra started to search and unlocked the mystery of her identity. >> looking at the picture it looked like my daughter. i swear i stayed on that article for a good two hours. >> reporter: police say dna confirmed nejdra dance was carlina white, but the case is far from happily ever after. the first indication of trouble came from carlina's biological father who spoke with matt on "today." >> i'm happy my daughter came back. it's hard for her to cope with us right now because she hasn't been with us for 23 years. >> reporter: family members say carlina has become distant from her biological mother joy white, even questioning her birth family about financial issues. experts say carlina may be going through an identity crisis. >> she may be experiencing loyalty conflicts between the family that raised her and the family she's just discovered. that's a difficult place to be

put in. >> reporter: carlina remains in georgia where she's lived for the last several years and has reportedly started using the name nejdra again. >> there is a possibility these biological parents could have experienced lost for the second time. the child may have been lost as an infant and lost as an adult. that may be their harsh reality. >> reporter: nbc news reached out to carlina. she has no comment. it turns out law enforcement and the connecticut department of children and families could have solved the case six years when pettway told someone at dcf she was not nejdra's biological mother. police were contacted at the time but the investigation went nowhere. >> thank you very much. joy white, carlina's biological mother is with us exclusively for her first live interview. good morning. i know you have been through a lot over the past few weeks. how are you doing? >> it's been pretty tough.

i wanted to have a relationship with my daughter. >> it started positively when she first reconnected with you. >> yes. everything was great. i was on such a high when i first reunited with my daughter. you couldn't tell me nothing else, you know. i was floating on air. i was so happy. that moment was so great. >> she seemed happy, too. >> yes. with the family, we all got together and we enjoyed that moment. we didn't even talk about what went on in her life, you know, with the pettway family. >> of the possible allegations of abuse as a child. >> no. we didn't talk about that. we just enjoyed the moment and it was so great. >> and then she went back to atlanta, four days after. she came january 15, back on the

18th, came back the next day. >> exactly. >> she was flown up by the post. she'd changed in just that day. >> yeah. >> how so? >> i think it had a lot to do with the pettway family. >> what do you mean? >> the family is -- she'd been with them for 23 years. that's her family. i think maybe it's a lot of pressure on her now. being that she found her mom and itle really hurts, you know. it's emotional, overwhelming situation. >> do you think she's going through an identity crisis. >> yes. >> you do? >> yes. >> where does that leave you? >> heart-broken. but i do have to understand that it is her family. she was brought up by them.

i'm her mom and she is, you know, is just so -- this is so hard to explain. she's with that family. and that's all she knows. and i'm her mother. and it's hard not to have a relationship with her. it really hurts. i want my daughter back. i want her here. i want her to spend time with me and the family. and i want her to get to know me. it's like we are two strangers, you know? we don't know each other. >> she went back and has not returned since but she's asked a lot of questions about money. in particular, what happened to the settlement that you received in 1992 from the lawsuit filed against the hospital as a result of the kidnapping. the new york post says that you and carlina's father both

received about $163,000 and put the rest in a trust fund for carlina. >> right. >> if she was found before she turned 21, by the age of 21. she's now 23. >> right. >> what happened to that money? >> it's gone. we don't have the money. you know, we both had to live. you know, we put that money up for her, me and carl. we decided to put that up for her ourselves. at the time, things was like really rocky with me as far as a living situation and stuff like that. and i have two other kids -- a son and a daughter. i had to take care of myself and live. >> once she turned 21 and you hadn't found her, you used up the money? >> exactly. >> she asked about the reward money offered for her return. >> yes. >> a lot of questions about money that she's told you she won't do interviews unless she's

paid. are you angry with her about this? >> yeah. i'm disappointed. this was a miracle that happened. it's breathtaking. it's mind-blowing. i just wanted to get that out there, you know, that we found our daughter and we're happy, e reunited. you know, i wanted to share that with the world. it really hurts me that it's about money. you know, that's what kids -- you know, it's about, you know. it's u ee's understandable, you. >> quickly, do you know anything about the connecticut officials may have found her six years ago? >> yes. >> you knew about that? >> she told me about that. >> does it upset you that they drom dropped the ball on that?

>> it hurts me very bad. it's a difficult situation. >> i'm sure it's hard. it started so positively. we wish you the best. hopefully the families will come back together again. thank you. now a check on the weather from al. >> good morning, everybody. got some friends here. you guys first -- friends for 47 years? >> yeah. >> you're just reuniting? >> well, we reunite over the years. >> we have a 16th birthday here with amanda. happy birthday. hey, paduka, kentucky. we just like saying that. they have their single day biggest snowfall yesterday. six inches of snow. some areas of western kentucky picking up ten inches of snow. and you add to that more snow today and bitterly cold temperatures. it's going to be a mess. look at these temperatures starting to stream down.

single digits, below zero temperatures today into tomorrow. look at how the cold air starts to seep down into the south. teens and 20s in northern texas. teens and 20s in the northeast. the cold air shifts east as well. temperatures warm up southern florida and southern california as well. >> we are going to see temperatures dropping throughout the hour with winds picking up and dust at 40 to 50 miles per hour a possibility today. hour a possibility today. that's your latest weather. check your latest forecast on the weather channel on cable or weather.com online.

meredith? >> al, thank you very much. just want to make sure despite what's happening with her daughter now, she wants anyone whose children have been kidnapped to never give up hope. coming up, women's obsession with footwear, but first car surfing and the dangerous stunt more people are taking part in right after this. - that's a peerless diamond, the ideal ideal-cut diamond. female announcer: jared has thousands of loose diamonds and hundreds of settings to create your own one-of-a-kind ring. - you crying? - no. that lets you eat six times a day? yeah, baby! try the slim-fast 3-2-1 plan. 3 snacks, 2 shakes or meal bars, and 1 balanced meal. slim fast. who has time to slim slowly?

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car, climbs on the roof and stands up as if he's surfing the car. it's a fearless gamble. car surfing. and the videos of those climbing on the roof of a moving car are all over the internet. in some cases drivers even surf their own cars which is called ghost riding. and as the videos reveal, it is not uncommon to see the surfing end in an accident. >> oh! >> reporter: sometimes car surfers grab the bumper or door handle and surf the imaginary wake on a surfboard or in a shopping cart. 18le-year-old cameron bieberly jumped in the back of a cart. as they went faster and faster the car approached a speed bump. cameron flew 27 feet through the

air, landed on his head and died. >> feels like hell on earth. >> reporter: wendy and darda say they had no idea what their son was doing until it was too late. >> cameron made a poor decision, no doubt. he got in that cart. once he did that he no longer had control of the situation. >> reporter: at the time of the accident the driver michael smith was 23 years old. this month, two and a half years after cameron's death, an orlando jury convicted him of vehicular homicide. smith was sentenced to four years in prison. >> so if they are driving the car figuring, well, something bad goes on it won't be me, it will be my buddy. >> right. >> the truth of the story is -- >> both parties are going to pay a dear price. ♪ >> reporter: where did the idea for this come from? cameron's parents think he saw it in the movie "jack ass." police agencies are investigating more and more car

surfing accidents. just last week two teens died in florida. >> do you know what car surfing is? >> yes. >> reporter: which is why cameron's parents are on a mission to warn other families. >> we're just trying to get the word out. >> reporter: cameron's death ruined what both say was a perfect american family. two children, two dogs, a turtle and a rabbit. >> we are separated and getting divorced. >> reporter: would you blame it on this incident? >> absolutely. >> i don't think it would have happened if cameron hadn't died. >> reporter: it's so sad. they say they are speaking out because they hope parents will talk to their teenagers and their 20-somethings to make sure they understand how dangerous and stupid this car surfing activity is. matt? >> kerry sanders in wellington, florida, for us. thank you very much. on a much different note, coming up the special story behind the newest cheetahs at the national zoo.

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we are back with two new additions at the smithsonian national zoo in washington, d.c. baby cheetah cubs born to different moms. because one was at risk he's been adopted by the other female. tom costello is at the national zoo with details. tom, good morning. >> reporter: all right. good morning. this is a really sweet, cool story. this is called cross-fostering like when a child needs help and he or she gets a foster parent. take a look behind me. these three beautiful mail cheetahs are nestled down. it's cold here. the babies, the cubs, are inside where it's warm. if you didn't know better, you would swear all that chirping had to be coming from baby birds, but these are no birds. >> they are ten days apart. >> reporter: lacy brawn is the

lead cheetah keeper at the national zoo and these days she has her hands full with two wide-eyed balls of fur. >> 3.36 kilograms. >> reporter: the two baby cubs don't have names. they were born ten days apart to two separate mothers, but a litter with one cub can spell trouble for the moth around the baby. >> the mother will not produce enough milk. she'll dry up. and then neglect the cub. >> reporter: to save the male cub the zoo took a gamble that a mother named zazi would adopt a baby that wasn't hers. >> the largest risk is that the female would actually injure the new cub. >> reporter: the moment of truth was captured on camera in december when zoologists placed both cubs in the same nest box and then rubbed woodchips over each. watch zazi enter the box. that's the new male cub off to the left. zazi goes for him, picking him up in her mouth, then turning

around lays him down and within just a minute begins to mother him. within hours, he was nursing. >> she was absolutely perfect for the cross-fostering. she accepted the new cub right away. >> reporter: the cheetah is the fastest mammal on land, capable of 70 mile per hour sprints but the numbers are dropping past. only 7,000 to 12,000 left in the wild. they will be part of a species survival plan, examined by veterinarians -- lungs, eyes, teeth, temperature and weighed every day. what is that sound? >> like a bird chirp. it's good camouflage for them in the wild. >> reporter: two new babies sharing one loving mom. so you're saying, i can't see the babies. i'm not near the national zoo. i'm in detroit, duluth, denver,

whatever the case may be. wrong you are. the zoo put up a web cam. it's on todayshow.com. we'll take a look. you have to look hard to see the baby cubs, but right now they are just a little bit ahead or up on the top part of the screen near their mom. they have been nursing this morning. they got up. they were really frolicking this morning and now they are hanging out with mom. meredith, back to you. >> they are so sweet. thank you very much, tom. >> they are cute. >> they are. >> a year from now, they'll bite your head off. coming up, simon cowell, life without "american idol." and his new show. after your local news. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 what if every atm was free ?

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coffee-mate, from nestle. >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am stan stovall. here is sarah caldwell and traffic pulse 11. >> a mess on i-95 this morning. a tractor trailer fire has been to put out in the north and direction in white marsh. dealing with a pretty significant delays in the northbound direction. southbound delays opposite that, 11 miles per hour. if you travel in glenarm,

accident there did another at belair road and woodley ave. chesaco avenue in rosedale, watch for downed wires. church lane, watch for fire activity. heaviest on the north and west side. 19 miles per hour on average. northbound traffic called on a standstill due to the earlier tractor trailer fire. we have delays, but not quite as heavy there. that is the latest on traffic pulse 11. >> colder air is going to infiltrate the area. temperatures are going to drop this morning into the mid- thirties, and looks like. cold out there. wind advisory goes into effect at 11:00 a.m. this morning until 8:00 tonight with gusts of 40-50

miles per hour possible. a blustery and cold today. same for tomorrow. still in the mid-thirties for the hybrid 29 degrees. the snow is kept at bay for us. >> we are back at

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8:00 now on this tuesday morning, february 8th, 2011. people from far and wide have assembled in rockefeller plaza. it is always nice to have them stop by and say hello. i'm meredith vieira alongside matt lauer and al roker. coming up, simon cowell. >> that's right. the former "american idol" judge. i wonder if he still watches his old program and what does he have in store judgewise and competitionwise for his american version of "the x factor" which will debut here in the

not-too-distant future. there's simon joining us from outside london. we'll talk to him in a little while. >> then we asked about women and their obsession with shoes. we want to -- a survey says 1 in 5 would put up with painful blisters for a great pair of shoes like meredith's. >> my feet are killing me. but aren't the shoes great? >> why do women put so much stock in footwear? are women genetically wired to love shoes? >> these are comfortable. i take it back. >> really? they don't look it. >> i don't want to get the designer angry. >> also ahead, can we wish our very best to a former guest on the show. remember 28-year-old ali smith babineau. she developed heart disease and had a revolutionary heart pump. we told you her health had taken a turn for the worse. even as we are speaking now, ali is being taken into an operating room. she's getting a heart transplant

this morning. so we just want ali to know we are thinking of her and her family. we wish her the very, very best. we'll try to update you on the situation. >> we sure do. let's head to the news desk where ann curry is standing by. >> we begin with a stand-off in cairo where protesters are demanding democracy and the resignation of their president. and the president, president mubarak, has set up a committee to discuss changes to egypt's constitution. at the same time anti-government protesters are calling for 1 million people in tahrir square today. there has been a startling jump in the death toll. nearly 300 people have been killed in egypt since the uprising began two weeks ago. police in mexico say they have no leads in the shooting deaths of three people, including two american high school students who were killed on saturday across the border from el paso,

texas. they were shot at a car dealership in ciudad juarez. six former officials in california have rejected a plea deal in their corruption case. they were offered a chance to pay back millions they allegedly looted from the l.a. suburb and serve two-year sentences. they refused that deal. officials say president obama will propose debt relief for states struggling to pay jobless benefits when he unveils the budget next week. 30 states borrowed $32 billion to cover unemployment checks. amtrak plans to spend $50 million to study what it calls its gateway project, a new huds river tunnel connecting new york and new jersey. building the tunnel would cost $13.5 billion, making it the most expensive transportation project in u.s. history. americans boosted their credit card borrowing in december for the first time in more than two years and according to the experts the

signals increase confidence in the economy and an easing of tight lending restrictions by banks. federal regulators proposed that top bank executives delay half their annual bonuses for at least three years. lawmakers blame the bonus system for encouraging high risk deals that led to the recent financial collapse. and a shy baby panda is playing peekaboo. take a look. with visitors at the zoo in vietn vienna. fuhu was born last august. he's avoided meeting the fans, but there he is. it is now four minutes past hour. let's go outside now to al who is also our little fuzzy panda with the weather. >> yeah. i don't think i'm that fuzzy, but i'm glad you think so. let's check your weather. pick city today just happens to be wilmington, delaware. wind advisory.

gusts to 45 miles per hour. as you look at the southeast we have rain moving through. a system works its way through the coast. snow for the southeast. clouds in the pacific northwest. santa ana winds in los angeles today. a messy day in northern new england with snow. we have lake effect snow in parts of the eastern great lakes. >> we are going to see temperatures dropping throughout this afternoon as cold air forces in. wind advisory in effect from and that's your latest

weather. matt? >> al, thank you very much. when we come back, we are going to talk to one of the driving forces behind one of the shows you watch most often and a new show coming to this country. that's simon cowell. we'll chat with him, but first, these messages. ♪ always in my face ♪ i think i need some space ♪ loving you's just too much work ♪ ♪ so i found a new love a zero-calorie true love ♪ ♪ that comes from a leaf sweet surprise ♪ ♪ it's natural, guilt-free no artificiality ♪ ♪ it won't land on my hips or my thighs ♪ ♪ its name is truvia ♪ i had no idea ♪ it's better than flirting or french fries ♪ [ announcer ] truvia. honestly sweet. - did dad go to jared for the pandora bracelet like we told him? - i can't tell. - oh, honey! - he totally went to jared. female announcer: celebrate life's unforgettable moments with pandora, now at jared. girls: awww... - they are so cute at that age.

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>> reporter: even during the economic storm when other goods were getting the boot, shoe stores were trending as high as a stiletto. >> shoes always fit. >> the color, variety, styles, different shoes for every season. i love everything about shoes. i love the way they make me feel, how i look in them. >> shoes make me happy. >> reporter: it should be no surprise we are wired for shoe love. >> you put on high heels and you feel sexy and glamorous. when wearing high heels you stand and walk on your tiptoes. your posture changes, your chest go out, your behind goes out. your legs seem longer. >> reporter: sachs 5th avenue has its own floor. >> i'm a 9. >> some women go overboard. part of the reason is the

neverending search for the perfect shoes that will make them look sexy and beautiful and alluring. >> reporter: dominique grovener's shoe search took her places she didn't expect. >> my husband and i had to find a two-bedroom apartment to accommodate my shoes. >> reporter: now she blogs about them for a living. >> i love these. >> these yellow ones. >> perfect for vacation. everybody who loves shoes has voyeurs voyeuristic tendencies. you can transform yourself from a schoolteacher to a naughty vixen. shoes do that for women. >> here to talk about our obsession with shoes, stacy london, co-host of "what not to wear," mimi leeks from bravo's "real housewives of atlanta." all of them shoe addicts. welcome to you.

what is your motto when it comes to shoes? >> thick, nasty and crazy. >> thick, nasty and crazy? >> all in a good way. let me say it to you, meredith. those are some sick shoes you're wearing. >> i'm glad they are sick then. >> you're working it. >> thank you, baby. >> you find when you put a story about shoes in your magazine people gobble it up. >> we call it shoe porn. we just like looking at it. >> why are we bananas about shoes? >> first of all, in a tough economy you can wear the same thing and just change the shoes and it's new. it's the ruby slipper effect. you can be the schoolteacher or the vixen. also there is no such thing as a fat today with shoes. there is no fitting room drama. you have never heard a woman say, do my feet look fat in these shoes? a great shoe makes you feel fantastic. >> you mentioned the red slipper. when you were a little girl that

got you hooked. >> i confess. i was dorothy for seven halloweens in a row because i wanted to wear shiny shoes. that's where it started for me. i believe the higher the heel, the closer to god. >> do you think we are genetically wired to love shoes? >> i think we are actually. i think it's sociobiological. women want to be attractive. it's ingrained in us. if heels make our legs look longer, our girls come out, the shoulders go back and the hips sway, that's sending a genetic signal. we are looking to mate. >> what's interesting is when you poll readers 20% said they would suffer bleeding feet to have shoes that look good. >> i have to admit that surprised and dismayed me. a little bit of discomfort we are all willing to put up with, but bleeding? i draw the line there. >> me, too. i think wearing high heels makes you strut. i strut, feel strong,

independent. i love it. >> it changes what's going on in here. >> it does. i feel like the boss. >> i agree with that. i think it's empowering to wear heels. >> i agree with that. >> you're coming out with a line of shoes that cater to women between 9 and -- >> 9 to 13. >> why did you want to do that? >> i have so many women saying what size shoe do you need? i don't have large feet for a tall woman. i know women in 12 or 13s and i'm a 10. i want all women to feel empowered. because you're tall doesn't mean you can't wear heels. >> amen. >> i'm tall and i rule. >> you don't care if you tower over the guys. >> i don't care. >> amen to that. if you're tall, be proud. >> how do you think the economy affected our obsession with shoes? >> it's easier to update your wardrobe with shoes than to buy

a new look. even the wealthy women aren't doing that. if i were your height i would walk in flats all day. >> really? >> i need these. >> it's the way your body is. >> if i was 6'5" i would still wear six-inch heels. i met men that are this short and say, oh, wow! >> big mistake women make with shoes? >> if it's not comfortable in the store it will never be comfortable. leather and suede can be stretched as long as a shoemaker stretches it. patent does not stretch. >> i don't like seeing women in kitten heels. i'm like, girl, are you serious? you have on a kitten heel? stop. >> they fly off the foot and mules, too. try to walk fast in it. >> i am sick! that's all i know. crazy and nasty. >> thank you all so much.

>> pleasure. >> tomorrow, we'll look at our obsession with looking younger. up next, simon cowell and his new show and the simonless "american idol" right after this. to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq -- a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain -- serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nset pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease, or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq.

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delicious. and the same calories per serving as special k original. so, try honey roasted, honey bunches of oats! heck try 'em all. we are back with the man america liked to hate on "american idol." now simon cowell is ready to bring tough love back to the states with a u.s. version of the hit british competition show "the x factor." simon, good morning. good to see you. >> matt, how are you? >> i'm doing okay. we miss you here. >> i miss you, too. >> that's good. it's a nice moment we're sharing. tell me about this show. there are a lot of other talent shows on television. you know obviously "american idol" and "america's got talent," and some dance shows. why is this different? >> well, you're right. there are a lot of shows. we started this show -- i mean, "idol" started in the uk, as you

know. this show took over from "idol" in the uk five or six years ago. it became a big, big hit over here. i think essentially because whereas "idol" is about singers aged 16 to 29, on this show we decided to broaden it out. so on this show you could be 12 years old. you could be 20 years old. and there is literally no upper age limit. and we have invited -- this is what we have done for years. we have vocal groups competing in the same competition. so in the final you could have a 14-year-old versus a 40-year-old. >> the age thing was in the paper this morning actually. i was reading about it. i know you were opposed to the idea of much younger contestants a couple years ago. you have changed your mind. are you worried that a 12-year-old or 13-year-old might not be able to handle the intense stress that comes along with a competition like this?

>> yeah. historically, matt, i have seen a lot of these kid singers who looked like they were being pushed into the audition room by those awful stage moms. i just hated it. they all sang "good ship lollipop" and it was excruciating or that awful song from "annie," "tomorrow." nobody wants to sit through that. what's changed over the years is you look at somebody like willow smith now and the girl who did well on "america's got talent," she was 11. >> jackie, yeah. >> you take it case-by-case. i work for sony. we are seeing a new wave of 12-year-olds, 13, 14-year-olds who didn't watch "i dodol" and y have come about it in a different way. they want to be contemporary pop

stars. i thought long and hard and i want to give the kids a chance. i will take it case by case. >> who will be the judges with you on "the x factor" in the states? i hear rumors about paula abdul, katy perry, mick jagger. give me something other than your name, simon? >> really? definitely not mick jagger. honestly, i don't know. i was talking to somebody on friday who i really, really want to be on this show. >> who? >> i'm waiting on a decision. i'm not going to say. i really, really at this point can't say. i'm sworn to secrecy. they'll be cute. and the guy won't be as good-looking as me. >> why would he be? hey, listen, i was reading that you're really not watching "american idol" this year. why? >> well, because it's on a different time here in the uk. i watched, like, some clips last

week to kind of, you know, get up to speed. it looked good. >> how do you think the judges are doing, simon? >> i think they're doing fine. you know, they have a different approach to, you know, what i used to do before. i think the show had to reinvent itself. i think it's right that it's a different show to what we made before. >> yeah. >> and, you know, i left the show on fantastic terms. i still talk to randy and ryan. i still talk to kenny, one of the executive producers. so we're still good friends. but we're going to be competitors, make no mistake. >> you gave me zero on your judges. are you going to the royal wedding? >> i haven't been invited. >> do you think you will be? >> no. >> really? okay. who's designing the dress? i need to know. >> i will be allowed to wave in the streets.

>> who's designing the dress? >> who's designing the dress? um, um, i haven't got a clue. >> you're giving me nothing, simon! nothing! >> i don't know anything about royal weddings. >> okay. come see us when you get back. >> it's going >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. >> finally improving on i-95. we had problems due to a tractor trailer fire in the northbound direction. that is off to the side. southbound, still delays around the beltway and the 895 split. glenarm road and williams wrote, and we have one in the city.

this is backing up traffic on the inner loop from stevenson towards the j.f.x. if you are going to travel on the outer loop, southbound 795, a typical delays we see at this hour. 25 minutes on the outer loop on the northeast side. 12 minutes on inner loop from seven at 95 towards the 83's. looking at southbound delays coming towards us. things are improving in the northbound direction. no delays in the southbound direction. >> temperature-wise, we're looking at 39 downtown. 37 at the airport. temperature is starting to drop. we will see the temperature drops through the afternoon. the winds are going to pick up. advisory from 11:00 a.m. this

morning until 8:00 tonight. it is going to be incredibly blustery today. very cold tonight. cloudy skies tomorrow. 29 on thursday. good for the weekend. >> we will have another update in 25 minutes.

hey, what are you drinkin'? i'm drinkin' dunkin'. coffee -- black, straight up. extra cream, three sugars. iced coffee french vanilla. for me. iced coffee with a turbo shot. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. i'm drinkin' dunkin'. drinkin' dunkin'. america runs on dunk. we're back now. 8:30 on a tuesday morning. it's the 8th day of february, 2011. nice group of people gathered on the corner of 49th street and rockefeller plaza. not bad out today. temperature of about 39 degrees. these people can handle it. out on the plaza, i'm matt lauer along with meredith vieira and

al roker. speaking of temperature and cold, a young lady who is literally allergic to it. >> she's 9 years old and can't eat, drink or be exposed to anything below 70 degrees. no ice cream, snowball fights or anything. she even has to warm her clothes. we'll talk to her ahead. what a beautiful smile she has. >> that warms you up. also, celebrating and preserving the tradition of african-american cooking. chef jeff henderson is here with some mouth-watering selections from a new cookbook. >> also, we have real sharks in the studio. >> really? >> real sharks from the animal kingdom. that's not one of them, but there are a lot of creatures you won't expect in a television studio that will be in stud crow this -- studio this morning and some have unusual mating habits. >> speaking of things with unusual mating habits let's bring in ed helm, star of "the office" and the new movie "cedar

rapids." good to see you. >> a pleasure. i don't know if you know, but it's very cold out here. >> thank you. >> perfect. >> and you don't have a coat. >> first leading role. you have been in a lot of movies. this is the first time as the lead. how do you feel? >> i know. someone made a huge mistake. it was a clerical glitch. i'm excited. this movie in particular is something that i have been a part of since the very beginning. the idea of it and -- >> you're executive producer of it. >> that, too. it's something i'm invested in and proud of. >> you describe tim lippe, the character as too naive to be cynical. hard to play someone so optimistic. >> right? because we are all so cynical. >> annoying. >> you know, that's why it's fun actually. i am kind of a jaded, cynical person in a lot of ways. and there is fantasy in going back to the hopefulness of when

we were younger and didn't know how bad the world is. tim lippe doesn't have that awakening until much later in life. >> in "the office," andy bernard, "the nard dog." i understand this is steve carell's last season. does the nard dog want to go to the front office? >>'m sure he'll make a concerted effort to get in there, as will the cast. thank god steve carell's been dragging us down. >> oh, man. >> and will farrell will drag us through the mud for four more episodes. >> oh! >> he's coming on actually -- we start shooting with him next week. >> and steve leaves before the end of the season. that's interesting. >> it is interesting. we'll have four episodes after he leaves and then to the post

steve carell era. >> good luck with "cedar rapids." >> thank you. >> it opens, when, ed? >> when does it open? >> this friday. >> and "the office" airs thursdays at 9/8 centrale time on nbc. >> any more plugs to get in? >> i'm good. we got it all in. >> what we don't have yet is the weat >> we are going to see temperatures dropping throughout the hour with winds picking up and dust at 40 to 50 miles per hour a possibility today. hour a possibility today.

meredith, don't forget. you can check your weather any time. >> where? >> go to weather channel on cable or weather.com online. >> i will do that. >> good. >> okay. up next, the 9-year-old girl allergic to cold. first this is "today" on nbc.

we are back now at 8:37 with "today's health." imagine not being able to play in the snow, eat ice cream or jump into a cool swimming pool. 9-year-old priscilla is literally allergic to cold. we'll talk to her but first here's nbc's mara schiavocampo. >> reporter: for 9-year-old priscilla, winter's chill is downright dangerous. >> i check the weather a lot. i have to always bundle up. >> reporter: the 4th grader from upstate new york must stay warm to stay healthy.

she suffers from a rare condition called cold ertacharya. simply put, she's allergic to cold. >> she has swelling of the ankles, joint pain. she gets nauseous with it and she's fatigued and lethargic. >> reporter: almost two years ago she started breaking out in hives after swimming. her mother thought she might be allergic to sunscreen. weeks later using an ice cube, doctors determined cold was the culprit. >> i was disappointed. inside i felt horrible. >> reporter: too much exposure to low temperatures and priscilla can break out in hives or go into anaphylactic shock, shutting down her airways. >> i do worry about it. every day. >> reporter: now she has to make sure she doesn't go anywhere with temperatures below 70 degrees. >> usually we keep it higher for

winter. >> reporter: it's not just room temperature. priscilla has to keep everything around her warm, from what she eats and drinks, to bath water, to the clothes she puts on after showering. she has to give up some of the things kids love most -- like ice cream and swimming. she takes anti-histamines twice a day and carries an epi-pen everywhere. >> this is your emergency kit? >> yes. >> reporter: for now she's getting used to living with the condition and manages to see a silver lining. >> in the winter time, it's good because i don't have to walk the dog, shovel snow. >> reporter: a little girl warmed by a positive outlook in the face of a cold world. for "today," mara schiavocampo, nbc news, new york. >> priscilla is here with her paren parents colleen and craig and her sister paige along with dr. nancy snyderman. you figured it out. no walking the dog, no shoveling

snow. way to go. how are you? >> good. >> yeah? the serious side is this is a little tough, isn't it? >> mm-hmm. >> you have had to adapt to a lot. how's it going? >> okay. >> yeah? still a lot to get used to? >> right. >> i want people to know what it's like for you to go out on a day like this, for example. it's about 38, 39 degrees here in new york. before i ask you to tell me what it feels like, can we make sure people know we did not endanger her in any way bringing her here, correct? >> no, not at all. >> she can go out if she's bundled up and she's okay even though it's chilly in the studio. you feel okay? >> i think she got a little hot. you overcompensated. >> we put the heat up too much in here. what does it feel like if you go out without a sweater or don't have the proper coat. what does it feel like? >> it usually doesn't happen. but it feels cold on a day like this. but if it was a day like this it

doesn't feel as cold as a day like in the 20s. >> you get itchy immediately and you would start to see hives quickly? >> mm-hmm. >> within a few minutes. that's a hard question because we are so aware of it, we never put her in that situation. she's never unprepared in cold weather. >> that brings up the next question. how hard has it been as a family to adapt to this condition? >> i think we are doing great. >> we are. >> we have lots of layers and we're always prepared. i think actually the question should go back to priscilla of the adjustments she's had to make. i think some things that are difficult for her, an extreme situation could be potentially very dangerous. we choose avoidance. >> i know if my kids were watching now they would say, you don't get to eat ice cream? that's a disaster for my kids. >> it is. >> a lot of times people look at

parents annud think these paren are cuckoo, they have made it up. or it's winter and your skin is dry. there is medical validity to this. >> in priscilla's case it's triggered by cold. the hives can be triggered in other people having an allergic reaction to a lot of things. >> ertocharya means hives and itching. whether it's nylon, a seafood allergy or cold. it's variations on a theme. >> i prefer this to a nut allergy. ieel that cold urticaria is more manageable. >> you have to figure out everywhere there is nuts in the diet and everything. you live in upstate new york. >> yes. >> my first reaction is, is this something where you are going to relocate the family to florida or arizona or something like that? >> well, we have discussed that. it's almost worse because everything in florida is air

conditioned. so she'd be more limited there than here. you know, winters are hard, but it would be worse all year round in florida. >> yeah. >> everything is air conditioned so publically she would be limited. >> paige, have you become more protective of your little sister? >> yeah, sometimes. >> you would have to be. >> do you walk around in a t-shirt all the time she's in a sweater? >> yeah. >> she is the hottest child. i don't think i can tolerate the cold anymore. i'm so used to such a hot environment. so paige is in shorts and a tank top and i have her bundled up. we try to find a balance. >> do patients often outgrow this? >> they can. there are some numbers of 15 to 25% of people suffer from some variation of this. some more severe. there is a possibility because this struck young that she may outgrow this as a young adult. no guarantees. the question is are there other

ale jis berto tomlergies in the? time will tell. >> thanks for coming in. family, thank you very much. nancy, thank you so much. up next in "today's kitchen" chef jeff shares recipes with soul. first this is "today" on nbc.

back at 8:46. this morning on "today's kitchen," we are going back to basics with jeff henderson from the food network. he's co-author of the "america i am pass it down cookbook." good morning to you. soul food isn't just good. it's part of american history. >> yes, it is. we have a great book called the "america i am" cookbook where we collected soul food recipes from around the country. >> this is from a writer, imani

wilson. it's her brown stew chicken. >> with a special green sauce. this is a local queens recipe that's african, caribbean. we have herbs to turn it into a green sauce. >> we took the skin off? >> we'll use it like a crackling like in pork. we have a green sauce. >> what's in it? >> green sauce, you have chives, shallots, cilantro, fresh thyme. put a little bit here. >> on the skin and the chicken. >> marinates it very well. this is a caribbean-inspired -- this recipe came from imani wilson's grandmother. >> speaking of grandmothers and grandfathers your grandparents were influential. not just cooking school where you got your influence. >> my grandfather is from new orleans. my grandmother always set the table and helped with the sweets a little bit. i have a lifelong experience being inspired by great southern

cooking. >> this is not bad. what's in there? >> these are the skins. we cooked them down with the marinade, with the green sauce, nice and crispy. over here we have where we kicked off the aromatics, leeks. we add a little bit -- >> so we took the chicken out? was it totally cooked? >> just seared. we add the sugar to caramelize it. this is a little bit of a sweet dish. here we have the finished product. the caramelized sugar right here. >> do you add things in? >> we'll add allspice, fresh garlic. >> wish people had smell-o-vision. >> peppers. >> just leave it whole? >> leave it whole. we're going to infuse it. add soy sauce and let it cook down. add the chicken to it. >> put it back in.

>> add a little bit of water as well. >> how high is the flame in the pot? >> medium for a good 45 minutes or so. take the chicken, grab a pair of tongs and the chicken goes in here like that. we let it stew and cook with the top on. we have a finished product as well. >> let's see the finished product which is very, very nice. >> yeah. we serve this here with white rice and we have a stew. you can smell the aroma and everything in there. we'll bring out a nice breast, set it on top like this. put that nice broth, natural juices coming out of there. >> that smells so good, jeff. you also in the book encourage people to jot down their own family recipes. >> yes. >> why is that important? >> this is a community cookbook. we want to collect the recipes that have been passed down. we decided to put notebooks in the back where you can jot down family recipes and restore the history.

>> all right. >> we have a little bit of garnish here. >> i'm going to say thank you. the book is "america i am." jeff, thank you. >> my pleasure. >> up next, a firsthand lesson on love and promiscuity in the animal kingdom. let's eat. ♪ come and cuddle by the fire in the evening ♪ ♪ we'll forget about the snow and rain ♪ ♪ while the skies are storming ♪ your arms will warm me ♪ it's winter again ♪ it's so thrilling when it's chilly in the winter ♪ ♪ and the frost is on the window pane ♪ ♪ hear the sleigh bells ringing ♪ ♪ my heart is singing ♪ it's winter again ♪ the wind may blow ♪ who cares? just let it blow ♪ i'll write to you ♪ love letters in the snow ♪ then we'll cuddle by the fire in the evening ♪ ♪ we'll forget about the snow and rain ♪

♪ while the skies are storming ♪ your arms will warm me ♪ it's winter again [ female announcer ] don't you just love february? why not get away on a cruise from baltimore? book today at royalcaribbean.com. back now with "today's call

of the wild." valentine's day in the animal kingdom. we are here to talk about the mating habits of different creatures. good morning, julie. >> we have so much love going on at sea world and busch gardens we had to share some. these are spoon-bills, gorgeous birds. >> this one's trying to mate with meredith. >> he does like you. i'll pass him off here. this is padre and matt has panini. they have a beautiful courtship ritual. the male brings sticks to the female and the female kind of decides whether the sticks are good enough. >> that's how it is at home. >> she decides the sticks are good enough then she'll build the nest and allow mating. >> and they are monogamous. >> serially. >> meaning? >> every year padre has to go

through the procedure again. >> oh! >> i got it. >> that sounds familiar. >> sounds like human families a little bit. >> so we have our hands full. ann and al, grab our next participants. >> oh, lovely. >> this is a bull frog. >> african-american bull frog. one of the largest species of bull frogs -- >> wow, that's great. too bad we don't have another one. >> we do, al. right here for you. >> oh. >> he doesn't feel bad. just squirmy. >> how do the males attract the females? >> with their voices. >> hello. >> the bigger they are -- and they reach the size of dinner plates. the bigger they are the deeper their voice. >> i love to love you. >> and the females respond to that. >> feeling rejected. >> watch out. don't let it jump. >> oh! what's he doing? >> they do pea sometimes. be careful. >> thank you so much. those guys don't actually --

>> oh! they really don't mate. >> matt -- >> the female will actually depot sit the eggs and the male will fertilize them externally. >> oh, all right. >> okay. >> next we have some primates which are monogamous animals. >> oh! >> but only 90% of birds are monogamous but only 3% -- [ laughter ] >> what are these? >> these are called owl monkeys. >> hi! >> well, we know how they mate. there we go. >> these two are a pair. can i just say, they don't smell good. they're pungent. >> in the wild, always worse. >> what do we need to know about their mating habits? >> you're about to find out.

>> exactly. >> they do stay together -- >> aww! >> matt lauer, the love monkey. >> they love you. >> oh, wow. >> she kissed me on the lips. >> no tongue. >> we have some cheating going on. >> you know, there is cheating in the animal world, the same as with humans. >> really? >> believe it or not -- and i'd hate to say this before valentine's day, but it increases the fitness. >> it's good? >> more genetic diversity and all that. it's been found that it's not always -- >> go to town, matt. >> you want to real quickly talk about the sharks there? i have both of those. >> these are sharks? they don't look like sharks. >> these are bamboo sharks and they are promiscuous. >> ten seconds, julie. >> these guys will lay eggs. i want to show you this.

>> we have only nine seconds left. >> watch this. this is what they lay and this is the little shark. >> oh, my g >> live, local, latebreaking. this is wbal-tv 11 news today in baltimore. >> good morning. i am mindy basara. in a mistrial was declared in the case of brothers tremayne and travers johnson, accused of setting a dog on fire in 2010. jurors told the judge they were deadlocked. held out because she felt the surveillance video was too blurry to identify the others.

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>> now let's take a look at the forecast with sandra shaw. >> we have already reached our high. it will drop in the wake of the cold front that got through last night. high pressure building in in the way of low pressure. high winds, a blustery day with gusts of 40 to 50 miles per hour. partly cloudy and dry. a wind advisory in effect until 8:00 tonight for the entire state. very windy day today. it remains cold in the mid- thirties. 29 on thursday before a nice rebound and dry weekend. >> we will have another weather >> we will have another weather